Vibrator



De@ 22, 1964 M. A. l. FONTAINE 3,162,426

VIBRATOR Filed Nov. 20, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 g Q. Vm

De@ 22, 1964 M. A. l. FONTAINE 3,162,426

VIBRATOR Filed Nov. 20. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mwa/@Wwe #www United States Patent O 3,162,426 VIBRATOR Michel Alphonse rne Fontaine, Paris, France, assignor to Vibratechniqnes S.A., Paris, France, a company of France Filed Nov. 20, 1961, Ser. No. 153,492 Claims priority, application France, June 23, 1961, 865,912 Claims. (Cl. 259-1) The present invention relates to vibrators of the type comprising a hollow outer cylinder and at least one inner cylinder of smaller diameter, one of the cylinders being fixed and the other cylinder or cylinders being movable and each cylinder having guide surfaces perpendicular to its axis, the guide surfaces of at least one of the movable cylinder or cylinders sliding in Contact on the guide surfaces oi' the fixed cylinder.

The movable cylinder or cylinders may be driven in a revolving movement about the axis of the fixed cylinder,

Yeither by the static or dynamic pressure of a pressurized fluid, or by mechanical means.

No matter how carefully the above guide surfaces are fashioned, it sometimes happens that jamming occurs between the movable cylinder or cylinders and the ixed cylinder when the movable cylinder or cylinders turn relative to the fixed cylinder. This causes a loss in eticiency.

It is the object of the present invention to eliminate this drawback.

According to the present invention there is provided a vibrator of the type hereinbefore described in which at least one of the guide surfaces of at least one cylinder is provided on a piece loosely mounted against a yieldable element carried by said cylinder.

The invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FiG. l is a simplified part axial section of a vibrator comprising an outer lixed cylinder and two inner mobile cylinders.

FIG. 2 is a cross section along the line II-H of F1G. l.

FIG. 3 is an axial section on a larger scale of one tiange of said vibrator, carrying a piece on which is provided a guide surface.

FIG. 4 is an endon view of said iiange along the arrow IV of FIG. 3, after removal of said piece.

FIG. 5 is an end-on view of said piece, along the arrow V of FIG. 3.

The vibrator shown in the drawings is a pressurized iiuid operated vibrator of the type described in U.S. Patent No. 3,030,079 filed on February 20, 1961, more specifically as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 of said patent.

It substantially comprises an outer fixed cylinder 1 inside which are arranged, one inside the other, two mobile cylinders 2 and 3, respectively.

The cylinder 3 has, at its ends, lateral tianges 4 and 5, the outer surfaces of which slide respectively on the inner surfaces of two ilanges 6 and 7 which are rigidly connected to the fixed cylinder 1.

The cylinder 3 rotates inside the cylinder 2 which in turn is adapted to rotate inside the fixed cylinder 1.

A movable blade S, is adapted to withdraw into a longitudinal recess in the cylinder 3. The outer edge of the blade bears against the inner wall of the cylinder 2 and divides the space between the twocylinders 2, 3 into two chambers, one of which communicates with an inlet and the other with an outlet for pressurized fluid.

The pressurized fluid, which can be compressed air, entering through a pipe 9, passes through an axial openinglti in the flange 7 and into an axial bore 11 in the cylinder 3. Radial openings 12 in the cylinder 3 enable 3,1@ZA25 Patented YDec. 22, 1964 the fluid to pass to the inlet chamber on one side of the blade 8.

The outlet, on the other side of the blade 8, consists of apertures 13 and 14 provided respectively in the flanges 4 and 5 of the cylinder 3 followed by apertures 15 in the flange and finally a pipe 16 coaxial with the pipe 9.

The present vibrator operates in a similar manner to the vibrator'illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the aforesaid Patent No. 3,030,079.

T he feature of the invention resides in the structure of the flange 6.

Said flange 6 (FIGS. 3 to 5) is constituted by a disc 2S which presents, on its surface facing the inner cylinder 3, an annular projection 17, a central circular projection 18, and, between these two projections, an annular throat containing an elastic ring 19, and which carries an annular piece 2.0 located between the projections 17 and 18 with a certain amount of clearance.

On the periphery of the annular piece 20 are three bevelled portions 21 which are displaced substantially at an angle of 120 from one another. The piece 2t) is maintained in position against the disc 25 with a certain free- .dorn of relative movement in all directions'by corresponding iiattened, inwardly displaced portions 22 on the annular proiection 17 which overlie the said bevelled portions. Moreover, on the surface of the piece 20 facing the disc 25, two recesses 23 are formed diametrically opposite one another. The recesses 23 are traversed by lugs 24 consisting of longitudinally slit tubes contained in corresponding apertures 26 in the disc 25. In this way the piece 2t) is prevented from rotating in the disc 25.

The elastic ring 19 is slightly compressed between the disc 25 and thepiece 2li and, by means of a supplementary compression of the said ring, the piece 20 is capable of a slight movement of translation and oscillation between the projections 17 and 1S of the disc 25.

The outer surface of the piece 20 facing the movable cylinder 3 forms the guide surface of the fixed cylinder 1, and against which slides the corresponding guide surface of the movable cylinder 3, formed by the outer surface of the flange 4 of the latter.

By the above means any risk of jamming may be eliminated because the guide surface of the fixed cylinder is capable of yielding elastically by inclining in any direction in response to the stresses exerted on it by the movable cylinder in the course of rotation of the latter.

It is to be understood that this same arrangement may be adopted for any guide surface of one or other of the various cylinders, even for several or all of them.

The invention is not limited to the form of construction which has been described and illustrated here by way of example, and which may be modified in details without going outside the scope of the invention.

I claim:

l. In a vibrator of the type comprising a hollow outer cylinder and at least one inner cylinder of smaller diameter, one of the cylinders being fixed and the other cylinder or cylinders being movable, and means to drive the movable cylinder or cylinders in a revolving movement about the axis of the iixed cylinder, each cylinder having guide surfaces perpendicular to its axis, the guide surface of at least one of the movable cylinder or cylinders sliding in contact on the guide surfaces of the xed cylinder, the improvement residing in that at least one of the guide surfaces of one cylinder is provided A on a piece loosely mounted against a yieldable element Y r Y a f side an annular projection in annular projectionhaving inwardly directed portions to overlap an edge of thepiece and retain it in position.

4. A vibrator as s et forth' in claim 1, wherein the piece l on which is provided the guide surface is positioned ina flange of said cylinder, said rotatin(y relative to said Cylinder by means of pins ixed to said cylinder and engaging slots in said piece.

References Cited by the Examiner 5 UNiTE-D STATES PATENTS 2,951,729 9/60 Skarstrom 308-9 2,967,048 1/ 61 Fontaine. 3,020,110 2/62 Kleinschmidt 308-163 X 3,030,079 4/ 62 rFontaine 259-'1 10 WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner.

3. S. SHANK, Examiner. 

1. IN A VIBRATOR OF THE TYPE COMPRISING A HOLLOW OUTER CYLINDER AND AT LEAST ONE INNER CYLINDER OF SMALLER DIAMETER, ONE OF THE CYLINDERS BEING FIXED AND THE OTHER CYLINDER OR CYLINDERS BEING MOVABLE, AND MEANS TO DRIVE THE MOVABLE CYLINDER OR CYLINDERS IN A REVOLVING MOVEMENT ABOUT THE AXIS OF THE FIXED CYLINDER, EACH CYLINDER HAVING GUIDE SURFACES PERPENDICULAR TO ITS AXIS, THE GUIDE SURFACE OF AT LEAST ONE OF THE MOVABLE CYLINDER OR CYLINDERS SLIDING IN CONTACT ON THE GUIDE SURFACES OF THE FIXED CYLINDER, THE IMPROVEMENT RESIDING IN THAT AT LEAST ONE OF THE GUIDE SURFACES OF ONE CYLINDER IS PROVIDED ON A PIECE LOOSELY MOUNTED AGAINST A YIELDABLE ELEMENT CARRIED BY SAID ONE CYLINDER. 